@arkivist

Archives of the Wildlife Conservation Society, founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society. We're wcsarchives at IG & https://xitter.cf/t.co/5JlO746n7q at bsky.

 Bronx Zoo, Bronx
library.wcs.org/
Joined December 2010
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Do you think the #polarvortex arrived just to celebrate #PenguinAwarenessDay?! Brrrr. Take a tip from these Adelie penguins filmed in Antarctica for a 1957 research project supported by @TheWCS and @NSF . If you can't beat the cold weather, best to enjoy it together! #archives
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WCS Archives 💚 retweeted
WCS
@TheWCS8 Dec 2025
Today, our bison conservation efforts continue, including partnering with Indigenous groups to ensure the species’ ecological restoration. Full history: bit.ly/3QciCxh
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WCS Archives 💚 retweeted
WCS
@TheWCS8 Dec 2025
Today marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of the American Bison Society (ABS)—a conservation milestone that began at WCS’s @BronxZoo in 1905 and represented ambitious effort to save the species.
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WCS Archives 💚 retweeted
WCS
@TheWCS8 Dec 2025
Within just ten years, the ABS helped establish several small bison herds across the United States, with some herds founded using animals from the Bronx Zoo. These early efforts laid the groundwork for the species’ remarkable recovery.
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We’re excited to announce our collaboration with The Art of Fauna, a cozy puzzle app that scrambles animal illustrations into tiles (like this one) that you can re-assemble into picture perfection while learning more about the species! 1/2 #archives #puzzlegame #gamedev
Scrambled tiles of artwork created by the Department of Tropical Research.

ALT Scrambled tiles of artwork created by the Department of Tropical Research.

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We’ve supplied artwork by the Department of Tropical Research made during their voyage to #HudsonCanyon. For a closer look, see wcsarchivesblog.org/the-art-… 2/2 #archives #OceanConservation

The Art of Fauna’s Puzzles from Hudson Canyon

Announcing our collaboration with The Art of Fauna, a cozy puzzle app that scrambles animal illustrations into tiles that users can re-assemble into picture perfection while learning more about the…

wcsarchivesblog.org
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The Congo Gorilla Forest at the @bronxzoo is an immersive, participatory exhibit that is home today to the zoo’s gorillas and other animals. Congo represents an evolutionary step in zoo design that follows on an exhibit that opened 75 years ago this month... 1/3 #archives
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...The Great Apes House. Although that exhibit is long gone, its story is still unfolding in surprising ways. Here’s a fun fact we recently learned: during its planning, WCS President Fairfield Osborn discussed the project with famed sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988). 2/3
View of the exhibit at the Great Apes House from a color postcard.

ALT View of the exhibit at the Great Apes House from a color postcard.

Text of a Great Apes House postcard caption titled "Plenty of room for the gorilla."

ALT Text of a Great Apes House postcard caption titled "Plenty of room for the gorilla."

Black and white photo of entrance side to Great Apes House.

ALT Black and white photo of entrance side to Great Apes House.

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That story will get fresh attention in 2026, when the @noguchimuseum opens Noguchi’s New York, an exhibition that explores—among many other stories—Noguchi’s connection to the Great Apes House. We look forward to seeing it! #archives #museum
Black and white photo of Fairfield Osborn at Great Apes House ribbon-cutting event on opening day in October, 1950.

ALT Black and white photo of Fairfield Osborn at Great Apes House ribbon-cutting event on opening day in October, 1950.

Black and white photo of construction of the Great Apes House in the late 1940s.

ALT Black and white photo of construction of the Great Apes House in the late 1940s.

Black and white photo of architectural drawing of the Great Apes House, late 1940s.

ALT Black and white photo of architectural drawing of the Great Apes House, late 1940s.

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We couldn't let this month end without a winged salute to 120 years of the Pheasant Aviary at the @bronxzoo. The unique wood-framed, Tudor style building opened in September 1905, relieving some of the overcrowding at the Aquatic Bird House and Ostrich House. 1/3 #archives
Colorized postcard image of the Pheasant Aviary set back within the landscape of the Bronx Zoo.

ALT Colorized postcard image of the Pheasant Aviary set back within the landscape of the Bronx Zoo.

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The building and enclosures went through a renovation in 1968. A new restoration effort took place earlier this year, and included better accessibility for keepers and artificial flowing streams for birds. 2/3 #archives
Black and white photo of male argus pheasant in enclosure with a uniformed keeper in the background. Taken in May 1924.

ALT Black and white photo of male argus pheasant in enclosure with a uniformed keeper in the background. Taken in May 1924.

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Shown are a 1906 postcard image of the aviary and its surroundings and a 1924 photo of a male argus pheasant taking in the view. 3/3
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#dyk? Alongside preserving and sharing historical @TheWCS records, the WCS #Archives also collects today’s materials to save for future generations. 1/3
Green Tree Python by S. Masques

ALT Green Tree Python by S. Masques

Tamarins by David Kiehm

ALT Tamarins by David Kiehm

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We’re especially excited about a recent addition from WCS’s Exhibits and Graphic Arts Department: a treasure trove of design drafts and graphics for the @centralparkzoo, @prospectparkzoo, @thequeenszoo, and the @nyaquarium. 2/3 #archives
Bat (1 of 2) by Katie Lee

ALT Bat (1 of 2) by Katie Lee

Bat (2 of 2) by Katie Lee

ALT Bat (2 of 2) by Katie Lee

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It’ll take some time before this collection is fully processed and digitized, but we couldn’t wait to show off some of these stunning images with you. 3/3
Baboons Grooming by Deborah Ross

ALT Baboons Grooming by Deborah Ross

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On this #ThrowbackThursday, the WCS #Archives looks back at the June 12, 1969 opening of the @bronxzoo’s World of Darkness. 1/4
Illustrated eyes of nocturnal animals on black background

ALT Illustrated eyes of nocturnal animals on black background

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The cover art evokes a spooky mystery, while the news releases inside come with quotes and context from Director William Conway and the PR firm for architect Morris Ketchum. Another highlight is the short biography of the construction firm of F.W. Eversley & Co. #archives 3/4
Company profile of F.W. Eversley on letterhead.

ALT Company profile of F.W. Eversley on letterhead.

Further details of F.W. Eversley firm from profile.

ALT Further details of F.W. Eversley firm from profile.

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This was a Black-owned company started by civil engineer Frederick W. Eversley, Jr. in 1963. When the nocturnal animal exhibition opened, the firm was about to hit its business peak in the #newyork metro area. #archives 4/4
Illustrated eyes of nocturnal animals on black background

ALT Illustrated eyes of nocturnal animals on black background

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100 years ago today, @TheWCS's Department of Tropical Research began their study of the Hudson Canyon as part of the Arcturus Expedition. They were awestruck by the diversity and beauty of the species they found just 100 miles off the coast of New York City. 1/4 #newyorkcity
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Post 1: Staff examining specimens during an earlier part of the expedition. From “The Arcturus Expeditionary Ship of the NYZS,” 1925, WCS Archives Collection 5011. Shown here: "Starfishes from Di, Station 113," "Giant green-eyed lantern fish," by Helen Damrosch Tee-Van. 3/4
Illustration: Starfishes from Di, Station 113 by Helen Tee-Van

ALT Illustration: Starfishes from Di, Station 113 by Helen Tee-Van

Illustration: Giant green-eyed lantern fish by Helen Tee-Van

ALT Illustration: Giant green-eyed lantern fish by Helen Tee-Van

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Shown here: "Seahorses," "Astronesthes pursuing Myctophym coccoi by night," by Helen Damrosch Tee-Van. All from Arcturus Expedition illustrations IV, 1925, WCS #Archives Collection 1039
Illustration: Seahorse by Helen Tee-Van

ALT Illustration: Seahorse by Helen Tee-Van

Illustration: Astronesthes pursuing Myctophym coccoi by night by Helen Tee-Van

ALT Illustration: Astronesthes pursuing Myctophym coccoi by night by Helen Tee-Van

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